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IIRC there was a year or so when options for downforce in F1 were very restricted, and Lotus found that a really smooth, well shaped belly pan could speed up airflow under the car to give a venturi effect. John Cobb's Railton Special, which held the LSR for decades, is a good example of a symmetrical airfoil shape modified to allow for interference from the ground. Designs can be tuned by raising the back end to increase suction to the venturi section and bring the low-pressure zone from the rear underneath, but a major rake would want side skirts to help maintain the pattern.
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